Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Fact-Check: Viral 22-Foot Shaligram Was Not Recently Discovered
A video shows a very large stone called a shaligram.
Shaligrams are naturally fossilised ammonite stones.
Many people consider them sacred.
They are collected from the Kali Gandaki River in the Himalayas.
The video became popular after floods in Nepal.
A social media post said the stone had recently been found in Muktinath.
It also claimed the stone was more than 17 crore years old.
The fact-check found that the 22-foot-tall shaligram was not recently discovered.
A video of a massive shaligram is circulating on social media.
Shaligrams are naturally fossilised ammonite stones considered sacred by many people.
The stones are collected from the Kali Gandaki River bed in the Himalayas.
The video spread after recent floods in Nepal.
A post claimed the stone was over 17 crore years old and found in Muktinath, Nepal, but the fact-check says it was not recently discovered.
- Who
- Supreme Court Advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha shared the claim, along with other social-media users.
- What
- A viral video of a massive shaligram was falsely presented as a recent discovery.
- When
- The video was widely shared after recent floods in Nepal.
- Where
- The claim said the stone was found in Muktinath, Nepal; shaligrams are collected from the Kali Gandaki River bed in the Himalayas.
- Why
- The post was shared to claim that the stone was over 17 crore years old and had recently been found.
Viral claim
Fact-check finding
Recent discovery
Viral claim
The social-media post claimed that a shaligram over 17 crore years old had been found in Muktinath, Nepal.
Fact-check finding
The fact-check determined that the 22-foot-tall shaligram was not recently discovered in Nepal.
- Object
- A massive shaligram, a naturally fossilised ammonite stone
- Claimed age
- More than 17 crore years
- Claimed location
- Muktinath, Nepal
- Actual context
- The stone was not recently discovered
- Religious significance
- Shaligrams are considered sacred
- Collection area
- The Kali Gandaki River bed in the Himalayas
- Viral timing
- The video circulated after recent floods in Nepal